Bubblegum girl shows depth

By RICK BENTLEY
McCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

If you’re a fan of the sugary-sweet song stylings of Katy Perry, then you’ve probably already purchased a ticket to see her concert film “Katy Perry: Part of Me” in 3-D. If you aren’t a fan, seeing the film might just win you over with its unbridled energy and surprising candor.

Concert films are normally superficial excuses to promote an artist’s records. Directors Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz spotlight Perry’s energetic California Dreams Tour, but they never shy away from the dark emotional realities going on behind-the-scenes.

It would have been easy to strip this movie down to its bubblegum roots and leave out all of the highs and lows of Perry’s failed marriage to actor Russell Brand. The fact that the directors didn’t try to sanitize the production gives this concert movie some unexpected depth.

The structure of “Part of Me” is rather standard: It tracks Perry’s musical start in the Pentecostal church through her sudden explosion on the music scene when she shocked the music world with “I Kissed a Girl.” Her tour – what Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory would look like as a traveling show – is mixed with typical interviews and testimonials.

Cutforth and Lipsitz reveal Perry as just different enough to stand out, but not so much as to be strangely off-putting. That’s why her fan base runs from youngsters to their grandparents.

What gives the film a kick is the truly warm and sincere Perry.

As repeated throughout the movie, there’s just something likable about her. Whether it’s in meet-and-greets with young fans or backstage conversations, once you strip away the cartoonish costumes and playful performances, Perry’s proof that “gurls” just want to have fun.